Developer Mode gives users access to many additional choices and customizations on the Steam Deck. While it is mostly intended for developers, there are a few tidbits in there that may be useful to Steam Deck users. If you want to enable developer mode on your Steam Deck because and you don’t know how to enable developer mode then you have come to the right place. In this article we will be showing you on how to enable the Dev Mode feature.
Steam Deck is a handheld device produced by Valve. A gaming platform called Steam Deck can be used with PC games. By logging into your Steam account, where your Steam Deck’s library will be visible, you can access all of your purchased titles. To get a better understanding of a game’s suitability, you may also check its compatibility rating. Any view in your libraries’ libraries can have its compatibility rating dynamically filtered if you’re looking for a certain game’s compatibility. The full-size controls are conveniently located for prolonged play sessions on the tablet, whether you’re using trackpads or thumbsticks.
Steam Deck Technical Specifications
Processor:
AMD APU
CPU: Zen 2 4c/8t, 2.4-3.5GHz (up to 448 GFlops FP32)
GPU: 8 RDNA 2 CUs, 1.0-1.6GHz (up to 1.6 TFlops FP32)
APU power: 4-15W
RAM: 16 GB LPDDR5 on-board RAM (5500 MT/s quad 32-bit channels)
Storage:
64 GB eMMC (PCIe Gen 2 x1)
256 GB NVMe SSD (PCIe Gen 3 x4 or PCIe Gen 3 x2*)
512 GB high-speed NVMe SSD (PCIe Gen 3 x4 or PCIe Gen 3 x2*)
Resolution: 1280 x 800px (16:10 aspect ratio)
Display size: 7″ diagonal
Brightness: 400 nits typical
Refresh rate: 60Hz
Touch enabled: Yes
Sensors: Ambient light sensor
Bluetooth: Bluetooth 5.0 (support for controllers, accessories and audio)
Wi-Fi: Dual-band Wi-Fi radio, 2.4GHz and 5GHz, 2 x 2 MIMO, IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac
Channels: Stereo with embedded DSP for an immersive listening experience
Microphones: Dual microphone array
Headphone / mic jack: 3.5mm stereo headphone / headset jack
Digital: Multichannel audio via DisplayPort over USB-C, standard USB-C, or Bluetooth 5.0
Input: 45W USB Type-C PD3.0 power supply
Battery: 40Whr batteries. 2 – 8 hours of gameplay
microSD: UHS-I supports SD, SDXC and SDHC
External connectivity for controllers & displays: USB-C with DisplayPort 1.4 Alt-mode support; up to 8K @60Hz or 4K @120Hz, USB 3.2 Gen 2
Enable Developer Mode
The average Steam Deck user will usually be contented with the menu options of their Steam Deck. In fact, the visible menu is more than enough for most users. There are however advanced Steam Deck users that will need more control over their device which is why a hidden menu called the Dev Mode can be enabled.
Enable Dev Mode (Make Sure you are in Gaming Mode)
Step 1: Press the Steam Button.
Step 2: Go to Settings.
Step 3: Go to System tab.
Step 4: Toggle on Developer Mode.
After you have enabled Dev Mode, you will now have accessed to developers settings.
Fix for Unable to Enable Dev Mode
You can follow the steps below if the Dev Mode ability on user devices does not enable.
Updating Steam Deck
Step 1: On your Steam Deck, press the Steam Button.
Step 2: Go to Settings.
Step 3: Go to System.
Step 4: Check for any Software Update.
Step 5: Restart Steam Deck.
Resetting Steam Deck
Step 1: On your device, press the Steam button.
Step 2: Go to System tab.
Step 3: Scroll down and select Factory Reset.
Reinstall steam os
Step 1: Download the recovery image on Steam.
Step 2: Prepare a USB key (8GB minimum) for recovery image:
- On Windows use the Rufus utility. Select the recovery file and write it to your USB drive.
- On MacOS you can use Balena Etcher to write the recovery file to your USB drive.
- On Linux you can also use Balena Etcher to write the recovery file to your USB drive – or from the command line:
bzcat steamdeck-recovery-4.img.bz2 | dd if=/dev/stdin of=/dev/sdX oflag=sync status=progress bs=128M(set /dev/sdX to the USB device you inserted)
Step 3: Use a USB-C adapter or hub to plug the boot disk in.
Step 4: If it isn’t turned off already, turn off your device. In order to enter the Boot Manager, hold down the Volume Down button while pressing the Power button. When the chime sounds, release the Volume Down button.
Step 5: In the Boot Manager, boot from the ‘EFI USB Device’.
Step 6: Once the Steam booted you can choose recovery options for Steam deck.
Re-image Steam Deck – Performs factory reset
Clear local user data – Reformats the home partitions
Reinstall Steam OS – This will reinstall SteamOS
Recovery tools – Make changes to the Steam Deck boot partition.